A 2005 ASTM International Award of Merit and accompanying title of fellow honor the contributions of Thomas J. Yager, a senior research engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., to standards work in ASTM Committee E17 on Vehicle-Pavement Systems. E17 cited Yager for his work in developing standards for measuring and evaluating of pavement friction and surface characteristics. The award is the highest ASTM International recognition for individual contributions to standards activities.

An ASTM International member since 1979, Yager has made significant contributions to many E17 standards and has held many committee leadership roles, including four years as chair of the main committee. He is currently chair of Subcommittees E17.24 on Tire and Slider Characteristics and E17.91 on Long Range Planning. Host of a number of workshops leading to precision and bias statements for E17 standards, Yager has also written a number of papers related to this work. He has been instrumental in gaining international participation in E17 activities, and he is an internationally recognized expert in the investigation of aircraft skidding accidents.

Yager has worked for NASA Langley his entire career, starting in a position as an aerospace technologist. He is involved in evaluating aircraft ground handling performance and runway friction surveys using instrumented ground test vehicles.

A graduate of the University of Portland in Portland, Ore., in engineering science, Yager is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives Research and Development Committee, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Transportation Research Board. Yager lives in Newport News, Va.

Release #7215